The Scarlet Files
by shihx
Summary: An AU where no one get shrunk. Shinichi Kudo is a new pride of the MPD, earning himself credits after solving big cases on his first year of his employment in Division 2. Sherry was born and raised under Black Organization, and has lived with their ways for as long as she can remember. Little did they know that their life would never be the same, as they cross paths...


_BANG!_

At this rate, she had been used to the sound.

 _You know this won't end well, Sherry_. She repeated his words in her brain. _You know this won't end well_. In this extreme exhaustion, she found it cheering. _You know very well this won't end well_. In the brink of her breathlessness, she found it encouraging.

 _BANG! BANG!_

She couldn't hear her own brash panting; she couldn't feel her feet, either. She couldn't touch the heat of the scorching sun, nor could she tell if her heart was about to run out of beats. She saved all her senses for two things only; her run, and the noises he made, miles behind her.

" _SHERRY!_ "

 _You will die_. He said. _I will kill you._ He said. _How ironic is it that now his voice was the only thing that keeps me alive_ , she said. _I have to kill you,_ he said.

 _No, you can not._

One person came across her way. And then the next two, three persons came, and she lost count.

"Anywhere," she said as she gave whatever it is she had in her pocket, her breath trying to find peace and her sight fixated on what might appear from the distance she just fared. Not once did she pay homage to the man behind the desk handing her the ticket she so ached for. No thank you, no smiles. She just grabbed it, danced over the turnstiles, and jumped to wherever the platform was leading her. She couldn't care less.

As the gate closed, she spotted the shadows of his black coat, lounging across the station leisurely. The smoke coming from between his fingers came from a cigar he just lit rather than the muzzle he just rested in his pocket. His sidekick spat on the ground.

Even in the moving train, his cold, bloody stare was, as always, sharp enough to rip her limbs apart. But she wasn't afraid anymore. She couldn't afford being afraid. She saved all her senses for two things only; her run, and all the noises he made that she could no longer hear.

* * *

"Tell them I'm busy,"

Kudo Shinichi might have been quite the most respected addition to the criminal affairs bureau, successfully closing the operations of two deep rooted, decades-long-running criminal organizations in his first year of operation, and even more magnificently, doing so before he was even a quarter century old, but he apparently couldn't pay the same respect to a lot of those surrounding him.

The other end of the phone, however, seemed not to be able to comply with that.

"Okay, okay, send the…"

"OI SHINICHI!" Before he knew it, his office door was broken open, giving him a view of his panicking secretary, and his guests, who seemed to have shared his lack of hospitality. "What do you mean with you're busy?"

Shinichi let out a deep breath. "I'm… working on something… complicated, Genta,"

"Then by all means let us help you!"

Shinichi sighed. He shudders at the thought of having to explain the whole ordeal to this colleague of him; and even more, at the thought of dragging him, a fresh, brand new officer at Division 3 with bright future in his horizon, to an affair that could cost him God knows what. No. It was his business and his business alone.

"Anyway, Genta, let's not forget what we're here for." …Or even Mitsuhiko, the one colleague—and friend—he could, and did, actually count on multiple times. "Sorry, Shinichi, for intruding. But Genta got us a case. Just like old times."

For a second he recalled how the four of them would spend their afternoons after school; intruding people's houses, causing rackets and the whatnots, causing troubles for their parents... All for good reasons, as long as he could remember. Who would have guessed the 'detective boys' could last even almost 20 years past their missing-cat-hunting days?

"Come on, Shinichi." Mitsuhiko pleaded. "Whatever eating you lately is definitely keeping you from solving to any cases at all. Take a break, do smaller catch. Plus, a boy's life is in danger."

The perk of knowing someone for almost 20 years was, undoubtedly, knowing what to say to get them do something for you.

"Brief me,"

Mitsuhiko took an elated glance to Genta, who was in a smirking fit. "The missing person is Masami Nakada, age 16. Last seen by his little brother a week ago in his room." Mitsuhiko explained as Genta handed out papers to Shinichi.

"Wait a second. Are you sure this isn't just a teenage angst?"

"Definitely not." Mitsuhiko assured. "The boy was perfectly well mannered and he left his wallet on his drawer."

"This." Genta grinned, almost like he was proud. "Found this on his drawer when I searched his house. Money's there, card's there… His ID too,"

"Anything else you found there, Genta?"

"Not a hell lot of suspicious things. But the guy's a novice painter." He proceeded to take out a framed work out of his carry all bag—the size of a cupboard one. "He only copied other's work, but, I say he's pretty good."

Shinichi inspected the painting in close details. Granted, in some portions the color was a little bit off, and the wrinkles of the writer Natsume Soseki wasn't as smooth as the original painting's facial lines that were hung in Shinichi's library, but for a 17 years old, he found himself agreeing to Genta's verdict.

"Two weeks ago he participated in an exhibition in the city. Not a lot of these were sold." MItsuhiko added. "His brother, though, recalled that there was this woman who would come to the exhibition multiple times, always stopping to check out one of his paintings in details, perhaps like you just did."

"One of his paintings?"

"Yeah. Only this one. She never bought it, nor did she ask for any price."

Shinichi glanced at Mitsuhiko, only to find the young officer's eyes agleam with excitement. "All right Mitsuhiko but what do you want me to help you with? You solved the case. Find the woman."

"Exactly. We searched the visitor database, security cameras, everything. We found nothing of the woman. No name, no face…"

"No face?"

"Her face was always shaded by some kind of a wide, black hat that she sported all the time." Genta sighed. "We don't know where to start looking, Shinichi,"

Shinichi's thought instantly diverted back to the case he was working on. "A wide, black hat?"

"Yeah. All black clothing, too. We saw it in the surveillance."

As Shinichi's air began to drastically shift, he reached for the phone. "Genta, where was the exhibition held?"

"In the Department Store near Daitoma,"

"Hello. Can you give me a list of all printing company around Daitoma? Yes, especially the ones no longer in use… Okay. If possible give me a list of surrounding abandoned instalments too, there shouldn't be that many. Thank you, I'm counting on you."

A moment later, the office regained its peace as the young detectives set off on their prowl.

* * *

"I have heard the news."

She smiled at him through the sheer glass—now half empty of the burgundy liquor that was occupying it—twirling it around, evoking calm, but strong waves against its rather slim vessel. "Such a troublesome kid, that young lady. But we know we wouldn't assign her to your care hadn't she be so."

Her cobalt hued scarlet lips took an upward turn on their right edge, complimenting her chiselled cheekbones. Her lid slanted; focusing on the man before her. "Perhaps she touched your soft spot, Gin?"

"You talk too much, Vermouth." Without losing his cold composure, his eyes traced his accomplice's doubt. "I know where she is. My men are already there,"

"Really?" She put her glass down and threw her arms against the sofa, revealing the captivating details of her curves. "Then you should cut them off. They're slow."

She took her phones and dialled some numbers. "Hello, did you find the princess? Oh, thank you. She must be tired. Put her to bed, perhaps? We'll fetch her soon. I'm sorry for the trouble. Talk to you soon, Amanda,"

 _Beep_. Vermouth shut the phone and put it on her lap. "That being said, tell your men to go home. _Anokata_ wants _you_ to take her home. Can't risk another runaway episode, can we? I'm getting tired of it… Aren't you, Gin?"

Gin clenched his teeth, perhaps to restrain himself from spitting at his Boss' favourite dame across the table. "You don't expect me to thank you, do you?"

"Don't worry." Vermouth smirked. "I just want the best for the little lady,"

Sherry remembered getting an orange juice from the vending machine in Daitoma station. The next thing she woke up to, however, was herself lying on the cold floor in a murky room wholly covered in dust; mouth taped, feet tied, and hand cuffed to an entity she couldn't quite figure due to the lack of any source light. It happened again. She ran, from a place she couldn't quite call home, but had no other option either way, seemingly made a successful attempt of escape, right before finding herself back into the tight, suffocating embrace of the organization.

And the number this cycle happened was enough to kill her feelings. The tear ducts stopped flowing, some time ago. Her feet, which once would kick her life out loud to regain their liberty, were decorated with too many scars to continue the fights. Her voice silenced, not by the duct tape, but by the lack of power her cord could commit. The only thing she could see, and all she could ever see, was black.

When another figure in all black came into the room, the words she uttered became inaudible for her ears, and left, only half of her was alive.

Not the littlest life left in her had an idea that color was being brought into her life.

* * *

" _Are you okay?_ "

He yanked over her body, trying to wake her with the slightest noise possible. And when she might seem so lifeless at first, his perseverance began to bear fruit.

She, ever so painstakingly, opened her lids.

" _Who are you?_ " Of course she didn't just ask this, she was trying to, but her voice escaped her. The man in question, though, realized what she might inquire, and gestured to her with his lips: " _A friend_ ", as he pointed to a badge inside his jacket.

Det. Kudou Shinichi, 2nd Division of MPD Criminal Affairs

By then, Sherry had two options; a) To riot from the presence of a law enforcer and try going on living, or b) To go with the ride, and have herself, most probably with the poor soul currently loosening the ties in her feet, killed anyway. Either way, she did not even hold her so called life that dear.

The man, however, sent Sherry a sense of dread, only in a greatly contrary manner than Gin did. And for the first time, after so long, she felt so terrified, but a different kind of terrified.

So when he asked her if she knew who ran the place, she nodded in confirmation. She didn't lie; she knew that it was the lady with a black hat, and that she had ties with the organization. That was all she knew, but she was sure it could make great information, couldn't it?

He helped her stand after he untied her limbs.

"Can you follow me?" The girl nodded.

"My colleagues are freeing another captive. We have captured two other men, but not the woman. Have you seen her?" The girl nodded, again.

"Do you think she's in the building?"

" _She…_ j-just in… the room," she answered, with all the force she managed to rebuilt within the minutes she was awake.

"I see. Do you know where she might be now?"

Sherry tried hard to recall what the lady in black said while she was in the room, but her effort yielded no result. She did, though, remember that she heard footsteps, then slower, but heavier footsteps, and then footsteps over her head, as she exited the room. "Pro…ably _upstairs_ ,"

He nodded. "What's your name?"

For a moment, Sherry stammered, this time in disguise of her urgent making up of a normal, good Japanese citizen sounding names. She explored her brain trying to generate a name, but her time was running out and all she could think of was some name she heard some story about before. " _Hai_ …bara. Haibara _Ai_."

He nodded, seemingly out of suspicion. "Stay behind me, Haibara-san."

The two trailed a winding staircase just beside the dusty room where Sherry was held hostage. Sherry was fighting her cough, trying to avoid commotion and blow up the detective's operation. She, too, battled her light headedness, a condition she tricked by grabbing on Shinichi's jacket. He didn't seem to mind.

A boisterous clamor became louder as the pair got closer to level four, the building's top level. The sound was almost eerie, with mostly high pitched creak, stuttering at a moment, and shrieking at the next. _A printing is in progress_ , Shinichi thought. _I hope Mitsuhiko and Genta seized the boy by now_. But he couldn't be sure; he couldn't waste time and let the woman escape in return. He decided to just trust the boys.

As they arrived on the fourth floor, Shinichi grabbed Sherry's right palm, dragged her to the corner of the arch before the adjacent room, and put his right pointer on his lips. _Stay right here_ , he whispered.

She nodded as he drew out, and proceeded to load, his SIG P230, but before he carried out the routine, another muzzle was already pointed to his temple.

"So you find us,"

The voice was coming from beneath a large, jet black hat, helmed over the mane of the lady with all black on. "You know the drill. Drop it,"

Shinichi abode in courtesy. "Sure," He dropped his firearm on the floor, pushed Sherry deeper behind him, and stand against the woman, chest to chest. "Nice to finally meet you, Ms. Amanda Pollock."

The woman let out a little glee. "I have read about you, Detective Kudo. And I'm almost flattered that my little business is on your radar,"

"It wouldn't have been had your friends were a little bit better dressed than you."

In the millisecond in which her air changed subtly, Shinichi sneaked a way out for his S&W M36 from his sleeves, pointing its muzzle to Pollock's trunk. "I know who you're working for; I just need to find out where they are,"

As her expression now transformed oppositely cumbersome, he took a confident step at her direction; slowly pushing her to the edge of the room. "Surely, you realize that by cooperating with us, some of your charges will be relieved." He bargained. "My colleagues have compromised and my aides are surrounding this building. You, no doubt, are cornered. Now Ms. Amanda Pollock, you might want to tell me where do all your friends get their black attires?"

There were several things that Ms. Amanda Pollock shared with Sherry. First, that they were both women who happened to be in the fourth level of an abandoned building around Daitomo. Second, that they both possess distinct, tar black souls.

And third, was that they were both currently having a sudden jolt of fear, anticipating what this company of theirs could possibly know about their affiliation.

"Ms. Pollock, I'm convinced that you might not be as illicit as they are. I'm even convinced that you might not belong there in the darkness." He schmoozed. "They just used you for the money. You know you want this, Ms. Pollock. Take the liberty. Cooperate."

By then, there were almost no space between the glass wall, Amanda Pollock, and Shinichi's muzzle. " _What have you got to lose, Ms. Pollock?_ "

What Shinichi didn't realize, apparently, was that Ms. Pollock _did not_ have the right to choose what she could afford to lose, nor did she have any willingness to make the call. As a matter of fact, _nobody_ in her circle did. The only option she had, in this position, was to turn her muzzle in a half circle motion and let it kiss her forehead.

Before she pulled the trigger, she glanced at the hostage behind the young detective.

" _Ask her_ ,"

The bullet graced her calvaria, motioned against the soft tissue sandwiched between her skull bones, and made a grand exit splattering a lively color on the glass wall while splicing it into million sand-pieces of crystals; sending Pollock's body into the cold air in Daitomo's night. Her over the top wide, jet black hat was all she left for Shinichi.

In terror, he turned his body, pupils still in maximum dilatation, to the hostage he just freed.

Or at least, where he last saw her.

"Shinichi! _SHINICHI!_ "

Mitsuhiko and Genta raced toward him. "The others are here. We captured the henchmen and saved the boy."

Mitsuhiko checked over the broken glass wall and realized how dire the situation was for his friend.

"Shinichi, _are you allright_?" He yanked his face.

"What about the girl?"

"What girl?"

"The _GIRL!_ "

Genta and Mitsuhiko exchanged glances, puzzled as they might be, but nobody had the answer to Shinichi's question. "There's no girl, Shinichi."

* * *

"My, my, another day, another commotion from my girl,"

Hands tied in her back, and on her knees; this is Vermouth's favorite position of Sherry. Sometimes, she would add a string of rope between her teeth, just like right now.

"You are _NOT_ my mother!"

Vermouth lets out a loose laughter. "And just who gave you the idea that I wanted to mom you?"

With all her might, Sherry tries to riot from her bonds; such effort that only results in an incongruous growl from her throat.

Vermouth bends down to her height and pinches her chin. "You knew _Anokata_ wouldn't like this, little lady. Do you know how disappointed he is?"

Sherry pulls her head against Vermouth's hand.

"He's _so_ disappointed that he ordered a fire at will should this happen one more time." She ruffled her hair playfully. "He never did that before, so he might be serious," She giggled.

 _I'm going to kill you_.

"Even Gin promised me to do it for him. Right on that little head of yours." She taunted, playfully poking her temple. "You know how excited I am, right? Please tell me you can feel it,"

 _I'm definitely going to kill you, that's the first thing I'll do._

"But in the meantime, there's a little game I want to play with you."

Let out from her pocket is a small, circuit-like object encased with a clear, seemingly organic film.

"Instead of putting you into a prison, which we frequently did with no success, what about… putting a prison into you? Hm? How wonderful is that idea! Don't you agree?" She goes into a giggling fit. "Don't worry, it won't be that painful. I mean, by time, you'll get used to it anyway, right? So where do you want to be pierced? Is it in your chest? Your eyes? Your womb? I heard that our medical staff can plant this anywhere you like! Or better yet, anywhere _I_ like! Now, now, why don't we let the paramedics take over? Come on now guys! Gin, since you know her body the best here, where do you suggest we should cut her open?"

Hailing from where he was seated, Gin takes out his cigarette and headed out the room.

"Where are you going, Gin? The show is about to start, you sure you wanna miss this one? I think her chest could be a great place to start!"

"You're sick, Vermouth,"

She smirked. " _Aren't we all?_ "

* * *

To be continued...

YAs! I write again. So, I had this idea since forever, and I've even actually worked on it previously, but somehow my pc erred and it vanished into thin air. Long story short, since then, I couldn't make myself write here, until now. So yeah probably this is kind of outdated, new chars like RUM I have yet the plan to include , but from what my brain tells me this idea is freaking beautiful! I ache for the day that there would be a show like DC WITHOUT the shrinking (so I made it, duh). For you who think the same with me, please stick on! Put on alerts etc because I promise you this is worth a read! Even if it's not well constructed you're SO encouraged to adapt the idea into your own work (PLEASE tell me if you do I would die for it!). Also if you knew me, there's definitely a lot of shuichi going on in later chapters (VERY SOON). And yes this is an adaptation from the manga (I forgot which volume) and anime 129 which marked the first appearance of Haibara. I left out minute details so that I don't bore you :P we all know where this story led. I tweaked it here and there, though, so yeah. Upcoming chapters will be a mix of recycled premise (like this one) and and original one! I myself can't wait! P.s: I did this only in several hours just cause I couldn't get it out of my mind so pardon the languages and whatever, I will MUCH appreciate any inputs you have. CHEERS!


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